Florida softball is five months away from debuting its next look. Gone are program stalwarts like Kendra Falby and Reagan Walsh due to graduation, and Mia Williams due to the transfer portal.
Fans learned Wednesday which teams in the nation’s best conference – the Southeastern Conference – the Gators will face in the 2026 season. Florida is coming off a 48-17 final record and its 13th trip to the Women’s College World Series. However, the Gators went oh-for the first time since 2019 – falling to eventual national champion Texas 3-0 and Tennessee 11-2 in five innings.
Coach Tim Walton replenished the Gators roster with Mississippi State’s Ella Wesolowski, Missouri’s Madison Walker and Florida Gulf Coast’s Alison Sparkman.
UF begins SEC play, along with most of the rest of the conference, on March 6 vs. Missouri. The series runs until March 8. The Tigers had the worst record overall and conference (25-31, 6-18) record in 2025.
Home series include WCWS rematch
The Gators next home series is the top series of the SEC schedule. The Volunteers come to Gainesville March 20-22. It is the first series between the two since 2023. UT ultimately lost to Texas in the WCWS semifinals last season.
The other two series are visits from Mississippi State and Auburn. The Tigers finished second worst in the conference behind Missouri and lost in the Tallahassee regional. MSU finished 13-11 in conference play and lost in the Lubbock Regional.
Away series include Super Regional rematch
The first road series brings the Gators to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the Wildcats, which lost in the Clemson Regional.
Future trips include Arkansas (March 27-29), South Carolina (April 10-12) and Georgia (April 30-May 2). The matchup with the Bulldogs is a rematch of the Gainesville Super Regional – won in May by Florida in three games.
Easier schedule than 2025
In the SEC, there is no such thing as an easy schedule. However, this schedule looks more palatable than 2025. Last season, UF hosted Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Arkansas. The Longhorns won the national championship, the Sooners won the four before, and the Crimson Tide and Razorbacks advanced to the Super Regionals.
Road trips included Ole Miss (WCWS participant), LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M.
The 2025 slate still includes trips to Arkansas and South Carolina – two super regional squads in 2024 – plus Tennessee.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida softball releases 2026 SEC schedule: Tennessee, Arkansas on the docket
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
